Reno Omokri: Don’t pitch Mba against Egbetokun — he’s happy as DIG

Reno Omokri says Frank Mba, a deputy inspector-general of police (DIG), should not be linked to the tenure controversy of Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police.

In a post published via X on Tuesday, the social media influencer said he had done his investigations and discovered that Mba is happy with his current role as DIG and is loyal to Egbetokun.

Recently, the tenure of Egbetokun as the IGP sparked controversy on whether the police boss should have retired after clocking 60 years old in September 2024.

However, Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, said the continuous stay of Egbetokun in office is lawful and that the IGP’s appointment, which took effect on October 31, 2023, remains valid for four years.

Amid the controversy, some social media users accused Mba, who is of Igbo extraction, of being behind the issues surrounding the IGP’s tenure, claiming it was a strategy to pave the way for him to replace Egbetokun.

Others said Egbetokun’s tenure was extended to make sure an Igbo officer would not succeed him.

Joining the fray, Omokri said the negative propaganda linking Mba to the tenure controversy “simply puts him in a very bad light, thereby putting his career in danger”.

The former presidential aide added that the appointment of an IGP by the president cannot be “influenced by social media pressures nor by petty sentiments”.

“Honestly, typical of contemporary Nigerian expectations, I had thought that perhaps these social media narratives may have been influenced by the man being projected to benefit from it by a section of netizens,” Omokri said.

“However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, on the contrary, DIG Frank is very close to IGP Egbetokun and exhibits a rare and superlative sense of loyalty that can only be described as fierce and unflinching.

“I also found this to be such an open secret within police circles so much so that even close aides and friends of the IGP lay credence to the fact that Frank is probably the highest supporter of his boss, Egbetokun, amongst serving police officers.

“So if there is anything these social media orchestrations are achieving, it must be to the effect that an honest, selfless, diligent, committed, loyal, and unassuming professional officer, DIG Frank Mba, is largely misrepresented and at risk of being pitched against the powers that be!

“So, if you really love DIG Frank, (and I believe many of you truly do), it may be best for you to stop talking about him and promoting the negative propaganda that simply puts him in very bad light thereby putting his carreer in danger. The young man has diligently worked an impressive career and appears happy and focused on his present job as a deputy inspector-general of police.”

In June 2023, Mba was promoted to the rank of DIG.

He is the most senior police officer from the south-east geopolitical zone.